Michigan DUI OWI Laws and Lawyers Summarized and Explained

The drunk driving law in the State of Michigan makes it illegal to drive with a .08 percentage blood alcohol concentration (BAC) or above. Michigan has a .02 BAC limit for drivers under the age of 21 and commercial drivers. In addition to Michigan’s OWI (Operating While Intoxicated) law, Michigan has another law called the OWVI (Operating While Visibly Impaired) law. This law means that because drugs (even prescription and legal drugs) or alcohol (or a combination of both) are in your body, that your ability to drive was visibly impaired. Operating a motor vehicle with any amount of a Schedule 1 drug (Cocaine, Barbiturates, marijuana, heroine, etc.) is illegal under Michigan’s OWVI law.

The best answer is not to drink and drive. The State of Michigan has strict laws for drunk driving, and when you drink and drive in Michigan, you risk your freedom, finances and your future.

If you have an error in judgment and are arrested for DWI, it does not make you a bad person. Good people make mistakes. The most important thing is not to let a single error in judgment change the course of your future. I often say, “the course of a life is set by the angle of the sail, not by a storm.”

The bond for a first offense DUI with a known, respected criminal defense lawyer is usually a personal bond, AKA a personal recognizance bond. This type of bond generally has an amount of money that is owed to the court if there is a bond violation. If you are arrested for a misdemeanor or felony drunk driving charge, it is critical that you work with a highly experienced, retained criminal lawyer. A top Michigan criminal attorney has a good chance of giving you the best possible outcome in your case (including avoiding jail or prison, lowering finds and costs, decreasing the terms and conditions of probation, etc…).

The Michigan Counties that are known for treating drunk driving charges in a particularly harsh way include Oakland County, Wayne County, Washtenaw County, Livingston County and Macomb County. Don’t be sold out by a “local” lawyer who claims to know the judges or the prosecutor. The truth of the matter is that the best, most effective criminal attorneys are those that have a breadth of experience throughout Southeastern Michigan are not so connected to a particular court that they lose perspective on the importance of fighting for their client (as opposed to keeping buddy-buddy with the court). Judges and prosecutors don’t give deals to lawyers because they are friends, lawyers sell-out clients because they know their “friends” appreciate quickly, easily resolved cases. Judges and prosecutors give the best deals to lawyers who are known to be credible threats, i.e. lawyers who are known to be aggressive, effective fighters.